Air cleaner



Sept. 3, 1946. c. G. TROXLER;

AIR CLEANER 7 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed 001;; l8, 1943 INVENTOR. Charles 6'. Troxler BY f P 1 4 c. G. TRQXLER 2,4 6,931

' AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 18, 19 43 7 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Charles 6. Troxkar Sept. 3, 1946. c. G. TROXLER AIR CLEANER v Filed Oct. 18, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet s INVENZ'OR. C'harles CiTroxler Sept. s, 1946.

AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 18, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 c. G, RQXLER 2,406,931

Sept. 3, 1946. i c. G. TROXLER 2,406,931

AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 18, 1943 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 my '76 (1D 0 0 ll 0 0 d) 0) 0 (D 4) INVENTOR. Fly 8 Charles 6. Troxler Sept. 3, 1946. c. G. T'ROXLER AIR CLEANER 7 Sheet-Sheet 6 Ill L A. i l 4 l a J. a w 4 3 L w 4 2 a T 4 w 1% HLu II hr L M8 m V mmvrm 7 v Charles Traxler ,4

Patented Sept. 3,1946

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CLEANER Charles G. Troxler, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 18, 1943, Serial No. 506,625

3 Claims. (Cl. 183 57) The present invention relates to an air cleaner l replacement.

The purpose of this invention is to filter out all foreign material from the air stream passing into the engine and to also clean the filters so that it is unnecessary frequently to repair the motors or replace the filters.

It is an object of. the invention to provide a new and improved 'air cleaning machine. Another object is to provide an air cleaner in which the filters are constantly being cleaned during the operation of the air cleaner. Another object is to provide a unitary filter having a plurality of filtering surfaces which are removable as a unit from the air cleaner. Still another object is to provide filter cleaning nozzles having a plurality of inlets for cleaning a plurality of filters in one operation. Another object is to provide a plurality of nested cylindrical filters spaced apart for movement of the nozzles therebetween to remove the accumulated dirt from the filters. Another object is to provide driving means to rotate the filter cleaning nozzles in annular paths around the filters. A further object is to provide means for drawing clean air in a direction reversed to the flow of the dirt-laden air stream, through the filters to clean the latter. A further object is to provide an air cleaner which is assembled and disassembled into a few parts, the interiors of which are easily accessible. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exterior perspective view of the air cleaner;

Figure 2 'is a horizonal sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 3- -3 of Figure 2 and illustrates the path of the dirt-laden air being filtered and the scavenging air for removing the accumulated dirt from the filters;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the major sub-assemblies of the air cleaner;

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the bearing supports and drive connections for rotating'the filter cleaning nozzles;

Figure 6 is a view along the line 66 of Figure 3 showing the motor and gear reduction for driving the filter cleaning nozzles;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary top view of the filter cartridge assembly;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the filter cartridge assembly;

Figure 9 is a broken enlarged vertical section along the line 9-9 of Figure 7 Figure 10 is a top plan view of the filter cleaning nozzle assembly;

Figure 11 is a broken vertical section along the line of Figure 10 with parts in elevation showing the internal construction of the filter cleaning nozzles, and

Figure 12 is an enlarged horizontal section along the line |2-|2 of Figure 11 showing the lip construction of the filter cleaning nozzles.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclose'd comprises a cylindrical base forming a motor-fan housing 20 on which is removably supported a filter housing 2| closed at its upper end with a rigidly attached cap 22 provided with a radially extending conduit 23 which communicates at its outer end 24 with the incoming dirtladen ambient air, and has its open inner end 25 downwardly disposed axially of the filter housing 2|. Attached to the inner end 25 of the conduit 23 by means of screws 26 is a cylindrical dirt inlet tube 21 which is open at both ends and terminates shortof the lower end of the filter housing 2|, and forms with the wall of the latter a chamber 3|for receiving the dirt filtering cartridge assembly 28. The chamber 3| communicates with a clean air outlet conduit 2-9 removably attached by screws 30 to the filter housing 2| 35 attached to annular radially spacer brackets 36. The inner wall 33 is in slidable removable contact throughout the length of the exterior surface of the tubular inlet 21, and the outer wall 32 is in removable contact with the interior surface of the filter housing outer wall, and is also provided in its upper peripheral portion with spaced annularly arranged openings 31.

Housed within the filter supporting frame are four cylindrical concentric filters 38, 39, M] and ll. Each filter includes a filtering material 42 of cloth, or other suitable material, to filter out fine dust particles and is backed up by a perforated metal cylinder 63. The filter 38 is secured at its upper end between a pair of nested annular channel shaped members M and G and a metal annular band 46, while the lower end is secured between a pair of nested flanged rings 4"! and 48 and a metal annular band 69. The annular channels G l and 35 are affixed to the top of the filter supporting frame by the rivets 35 and the flanged rings M and as are secured by screws 59 to a flanged ring El permanently affixed to the lower end of the outer cylindrical wall 32 of the filter supporting frame.

The filter GE is secured at its upper end between a pair of nested annular channel shaped members 52 and 53 and a metal annular band 54, while its lower end is secured between a metal annular band 55 and the annular flange 56 of an annular bracket 51 secured by screws 58 to a flanged ring 59 permanently attached to the inner wall 33 of the filter supporting frame.

The filters 39 and ll! are supported at their upper ends between the nested channels as, 45 and 52, 53, respectively, and metal annular bands EB and GI, respectively, while the lower ends are supported in annular nested channels 62 and 63 and annular metal bands E i and 65, respectively. The nested channels 62 and 63 are rigidly spaced and supported from the radial brackets 34 by means of spaced rods t5 and screws 61, 61.

The filters 38, 3S and M, M define therebetween annular or cylindrical chambers 63 and 69, respectively, for the incoming dirt-laden air indicated in Figure 3 by arrows with broken shafts. The arrangement of the filters also defines a plurality of annular or cylindrical chambers for the cleaned air, after the dirt-laden air has been filtered, as indicated in Figure 3 by arrows with solid shafts, one chamber I8 being between the outer wall 32 and the filter 38, another chamber II between the filters 39 and M), and still another chamber I2 between the filter ll and the inner wall 33. All of these annular chambers for the clean air communicate with a chamber 73 above the top of the filter supporting frame and which communicates with the outlet conduit 25 The filter cartridge 28 is removably retained on the tube 2? of the filter housing 2| by means of a plurality of leaf springs M having one end permanently attached to the dirt inlet tube 2'! and their free ends resiliently receiving the bracket 51 which is provided with a resilient seal I5 to prevent leakage of dirt-laden air into the clean air chamber 72. The bracket 5'! is notched at E6 to receive the springs 14 and to also position one of the openings 31 in the outer wall 32 opposite the clean air outlet conduit 29.

The filter cleaner nozzle sub-assembly indicated generally at i? and clearly shown in Figures 5 and to 12 includes a base l3 having a hub 79 from which radially extends hollow arms 80 and SI, each of which terminates respectively in an upwardly extending nozzle 82 and 33 which travels in the annular chambers 88 and 6%, respectively. The nozzle assembly is split along a vertical median line and is formed in two halves, secured together by rivets 84 and its base '53 is provided with a single opening 85 defined by a gasket bearing plate 86 riveted to the bottom wall of the nozzle base and is concentric with the hub I9.

Each of the nozzles 82 and 83 are identical in construction with the exception as to the overall nozzle lip length which depends upon the length of the filters and accordingly the description of one nozzle will apply to both. lhe nozzle 82 is provided with two oppositely disposed inlets I34 and I85 which extend throughout the length of their adjacent filters 38 and 39, respectively. The nozzle inlet IE5 is formed by a pair of nested rectangular metal plates E95 and ml, each having an elongated opening in register to form the nozzle lips Ida and IE8. The rectangular metal plates I86 and EB? have their marginal edges spread apart to receive therebetween a fiange I I!) of a rectangular apertured resilient rubber frame III which has its outer marginal edge clamped between an apertured rectangular metal frame 5 I2 and two spaced vertical supports i I3 and I M forming partof the halves of the nozzle base '18, and the vertical supports H3 and II i are spaced apart by three stationary brackets H5, IIS and lil secured to the supports H3 and IM by rivets H9.

In order to resiliently urge the nozzle lips I93 and IE9 against the filter 39, a pair of spaced springs E20 are provided and each have one end supported in one of the stationary brackets H5 and I H, the opposite ends of the springs are each mounted in movable brackets I2I which have a shouldered surface I22 bearing against the resilient rubber frame III, and the movable frames IZI are slidably supported on a pair of tabs I23 in the lip forming metal frame N31. The leading portion of the metal frame I65 is depressed at I26 to receive the filter 39 as the nozzle inlet I95 travels around and engages the filter 38.

The nozzle inlet IM is constructed similarly to the nozzle inlet Hi5 and the two springs I251 urge the nozzle 1ips I25 and I26 into contact with the filter 38 with the exception that the lower spring ifiil shown in Figure 11 has its stationary end mounted on a rivet I2! in the nozzle base 18. In the nozzle 83 the opposed nozzle inlets I28 and I29 are constructed similarly to the nozzle inlets Hi l and I65, respectively of nozzle 82.

The nozzle assembly i rigidly mounted by its hub 15 on a rotating shaft 8'! which is supported in upper and lower bearings 88 and 89 carried in upper and lower spider frames Bil and Si per manently secured to the interior of the dirty air inlet tube 2?. A thrust bearing 92 is rigidly secured by a pin 93 to the shaft 3'! and provides a surface abutting the lower bearing 39 to support the Weight of the nozzle assembly. A dust protecting sleeve 94 encloses the shaft 8? between the bearings 88 and 89, and the top of the upper bearing isprotected by a dust cap 95 which contains grease and also supports a ballle 95 to direct the incoming dirt-laden air into the dirty air inlet tube 2?. The bottom end of the lower bearing 89 is also protected by a dust seal 9?. The hub '19 of the nozzle base 18 is rigidly removably attached to the shaft 81 by a nut 98 threaded onto the lower end of the shaft Bi and is in the form of a captive nut permitting it to be unthreaded from the shaft 8! but is retained in a collar 953 pinned to the hub '59, by means not shown, so that in disconnecting the nozzle assembly from the shaft 8'! the nut 93 will remain attached to the nozzle assembly. The nut 98 is provided with two downwardly extending pins Illil which receive therebetween a driving arm IflI forming part of a nozzle driving mechanism.

A nozzle driving electric motor I 58, best shown in Figure 6; i suitably connected to a source of current and is arranged horizontally in the motor-fan housing 20 and has a speed reducing mechanism including a motor pinion I5I, intermediate spur gear I 52and a nozzle drive gear I53 mounted on a shaft I54 projecting into a conduit I42 and is provided at its upper end with the driving arm I (II which is disposed between the driving pins I00 on the nozzle shaft 81. The speed reducing mechanism rotates the nozzle 62 and 83 slowly along the circumferential periphcry of their adjacent filters 38, 39 and 40, 4|, re spectively.

Disposed in the motor-fan housing 20 i a horizontally arranged electric motor I30 suitably connected to a source of current and is supported on bracket HI and has its armature shaft extended -to support a fan I32 in a fan casing I33 which is provided with spaced annularly arranged exhaust outlets I34. The fan is of a double-stage type having movable blade I35 and I36 ahd a station ary partition I31 and vanes I38. The inlet I39 to the fan chamber is concentric with the armature shaft and is connected to a suction air passageway I40 formed in part by a conduit MI in the housing 20 and aconduit I42 in the top wall I43 of the housing 20. The fan I32 creates suction to draw clean air through the filters 38, 39, 40 and M into the nozzles 82 and 83 to remove the accumulated dirt from the filters. A running seal I44 of felt, or other suitable material, is mounted in an annular recess formed in the top wall I43 of the motor fan housing 20 and engages the metal gasket bearing plate 66 in the nozzle base to prevent leakage of air therebetween from the filter housing chamber 3I. A conduit I 45 is provided for the exhaust of ventilating air from the uction creatingmotor I30.

The filter housing 2I is removably supported on the motor-fan housing 20 by means of a plurality of bolts I56 having hooks I51 at one end removably disposed in apertured bracket I55 on the filter housing 2|, and the opposite ends of the bolts I56 are provided with wing nuts I58 which engage slotted bracket I59 receiving the bolts i56 to rigidly secure the assemblies together. The bottom cover plate I60 and the top wall I43 are removably attached to the motor-fan housing 20 for access to the motors I30 and I50.

In order to attach the air cleaner to an engine, or other device to which the cleaned air is to be delivered, a mountingbracket I6I is welded to a split clamping band I62 which encircles the filter'housing 2| and is adjustable'by mean of nut and bolt connection I63, and the mounting bracket I6I may be attached to the engine to support the air cleaner thereon.

The method of disassembling the air cleaner is shown clearly in Figure 4 and includes loosening the wing nuts I58 to remove the bolts I56 from the slotted brackets I58 which permits separation of the filter housing 2I and motor-fan housing 20. The captive nut 98 is then loosened from the shaft 81 so that the nozzle assembly can be removed from the filter cartridge 28 and the shaft 81. The filter cartridge is removed from the filter housing 2I by pressing inwardly on the springs I4 and exerting a slight pull on the filter cartridge. From the foregoing it is seen that the complete air cleaner comprises but four sub-assemblies which are easily disconnected.

In operation, the clean air conduit 29 is connected to the motor which is to be supplied with cleaned air, such as the engine carburetor, and also to a source of suction which may be part of the motor, and the dirty air inlet conduit 23 is exposed to the ambient air. The suction creating devicein the engine causes the dirt-laden air,

indicated by arrows having broken shafts in Figure 3, to enter the conduit 23 andtube 21 from which it is distributed into the dirty air chambers 68 and 69. The dirt-laden air contacts the fine meshfiltercloth of the filters 38, 38, 40 and M and the dirt is removed from the dirt-laden air and accumulates on the surfaces of the filters which are exposed to the dirty air chambers 68 and 69, while the cleaned air, indicated by arrows having solid shafts, passes into the annular clean air chambers I0, II and I2 from which it passes upwardly into the clean air collecting chamber I3 and thence into the cleaned air outlet conduit 29 to the motor being supplied with cleaned air. The cleaned air in the air chamber I0 also passes through the openings 3! in the outer wall 32 of the filter cartridge which are arranged opposite the outlet conduit 29.

At the same time the motor I50 through its speed reduction gears rotates the shaft 81 causing the nozzles 82 and 83 to move slowly in annular paths, the nozzle 82 rotating in the dirty air chamber 68 between the filters 38 and 39, and the nozzle 83 rotating in the dirty air chamber 69 between the filters 40'and 4|. During the rotation of the nozzles 02 and 83, the suction 'motor I30 drives the fan I32 which creates suction in the nozzles 82 and 83. The suction nozzle 82 draws the cleaned air from the annular chambars 10 and II through the filters 38 and 39 into the nozzle inlets I04 and I05, respectively, and movement of the resilient nozzle lips along the filters, combined with the suction, removes the accumulated dirt from the filters, as indicated by arrows with dotted shafts, into the hollow ini terior of the nozzle assembly to convey the dirt through the suction air passageway I40, fan inlet I38 and fan casing I33, from which the fan I32 discharges the dirt removed from the cloth filters 38 and 39 through the exhaust outlets I34. Similarly the resilient lips of the nozzle inlets I28 and IZS oi the nozzle 83 engage the filters 40 and M, respectively, and the cleaned air passes from the clean air chambers I2 and II through the filters M and 40 to remove the accumulated dirt from these filters. In fact, there is reversal of air fiow through the filters 38, 39, 40 and 4| during the filter cleaning operation since the ambient dirtladen air being cleaned passes in one direction through the filters, and the cleaned air in the opposite direction, during the filter cleaning operation.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that the filter housing 2I and motor-fan housing 20 are easily removably connected, that the'nozzle assembly is removed as a unit from the filter housing by loosening the captive nut 98, that the filter cartridge 28 including the four filters are removed as a unit from the filter housing 2|, and that access to the motors I30 and I50 is had by removing the top and bottom covers I43 and I60, respectively, of the motor-fan housing. Also each nozzle 82 and 83 has a pair of resilient nozzle inlets to remove the accumulated dirt from the two adjacent filters, so that all four filters are cleaned at the same time. During the filter cleaning operation, cleaned air is passed through the dirty filters in a direction reverse to the flow of the ambient dirt-laden air to the filters during removal of dirt from the ambient dirt-laden air.

I claim:

1. An air cleaning device, comprising a bone- 7 ing having an inlet for dirt-laden air and an outlet for cleaned air adapted to be connected to a source of suction, a plurality of spaced filters for removing the dirt from said dirt-laden air prior to discharge through said outlet, a movably mounted filter cleaning nozzle having opposed nozzle inlets, each of said nozzle inlets being mounted on a flexible diaphragm forming a part of said nozzle, resilient means interiorly of said nozzle and exerting a force on said diaphragms to urge said nozzle inlets into engagement with the adjacent filter during movement of said nozzle inlets along said filters, and suction creatin means for said filter cleaning nozzle inlets to remove the dirt accumulated on said spaced filters during the filtering of the dirt-laden air.

2. An air cleaner, comprising a casing having an inlet for dirt-laden air and an outlet for cleaned air, a unitary filter cartridge having a filter housing removably insertable in said casing, a plurality of concentrically arranged filters in said filter housing, an open frame at one end of said filter housing for supporting said concentric filters, said frame having openings for passage of air therethrough from said concentric filters, said filter housing having annularly spaced openings in the outer Wall thereof for passage of air therethrough, said unitary filter cartridge arranged as a unit in said casing for connection of said openings inthe filter supporting frame and said annularly spaced openings in the filter housing for removable connection with said inlet and outlet,

3. An air cleaning device, comprising a casing having an inlet for dirt-laden air and an outlet for cleaned air, a tube supported in said casing and open at both ends, a unitary filter cartridge having a filter housing removably insertable in saidcasing between said tube and the outer wall of said casing, a plurality of concentric filters in said filter housing, an open frame at one end of said filter housing for supporting said concentric filters, said tube having one end connected to said inlet and having its opposite end open for passage of dirt-laden air to said filters, said frame having openings for passage of air therethrough from said filters, the outer wall of said filter housing having a plurality of spaced openings for passage of air therethrough from said filters, said unitary filter cartridge arranged as a unit in said casing about said tube for connection of said openings in the filter supporting frame and said annularly spaced openings in the filter housing for connection with said inlet and outlet, and means on said tube for removably supporting said unitary filter cartridge in said casing.

CHARLES G. TROXLER. 

